Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. When going gluten free I tried several that just weren't anything near my old favorite. So I decided to try converting a recipe from wheat to gluten free. It turned out so delicious!

Not only are these cookies tasty fresh out of the oven; they're moist and delicious a day later. 4 days later, they're still moist! They would probably stay soft longer, but they never last that long in our house.

The secret is the pudding. It helps them stay moist. You can easily double or quadruple this recipe, and even freeze the dough for later consumption.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c shortening (I prefer butter flavored)
1/2 c brown sugar
1 large egg
2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c brown rice flour mixture
1/4 t salt
5/8 t baking soda
1/4 package (24 g) instant vanilla pudding powder
3/8 t xanthan gum
1/2 bag chocolate chips
1/4 c walnuts (chopped, optional)

In a mixing bowl, combine shortening, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl thoroughly mix all remaining dry ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the shortening mixture. Mix together, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and mix again for 2 more minutes. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix.

Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes*. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or a silicone mat. Scoop dough out of the bowl with a tablespoon and plop onto pan. This dough is a lot less firm than regular cookie dough, so you're not going to get the perfect balls you're used to.

Place the cookie sheets back in the fridge and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the baking racks at the top of the oven. When the oven is the right temperature, pull the baking sheets out of the fridge. You can slightly round the dough if desired, but it's not necessary.

Bake the cookies for 9 minutes. When the cookies are done, leave them on the pan on the counter for 1 minute, then move to the drying rack.

Yields: 2 dozen cookies


* If desired, freeze for later baking and consumption. When baking after frozen, bake at 350 for about 11 minutes (until bottoms are a light tan color).

Parmesan Romano Rolls

These rolls changed my gluten free eating! Fresh out of the oven they melt in your mouth. They remind me of a cheese bun I get at my favorite Brazilian restaurant. They're even delicious the next day microwaved for a few seconds. My husband and son will eat a whole batch strait out of the oven, so I have to make these on week days during nap time if I want them to last.

Parmesan Romano Rolls

1/2 c butter (salted)
1/4 c milk
1/4 c water
2 c tapioca starch (or flour)
2 t garlic (minced)
2 large eggs
1/2 c parmesan cheese*
1/4 c romano cheese*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist 18 muffin tins with cooking spray. Pour the tapioca flour into an electric mixing bowl. Place butter, milk, and water in a small pot. Stirring constantly, heat mixture until melted and starts to boil.

Add the butter mixture to the electric mixing bowl. Mix with a whisk attachment until it becomes stretchy and smooth. Pour the cheeses and garlic into the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add the eggs and beat together. Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese starts to lightly brown. The whole roll won't be brown, just little flecks of cheese. Enjoy warm or reheated the next day!

Yeilds: 18 rolls


* You can substitute parmesan, romano, or even asiago cheese. Just make sure it all adds up to 1 cup of cheese total.

Pizza Crust

Good heavens this recipe turned out awesome! I've tried a few different recipes from other sources that turned out ok, but this one ended up heavenly. For the first time I wasn't jealous of my husband's fabulous pizza crust. 

The only difference in this one is it's thinner than the one I make for him, and the dough isn't made in the bread maker, so it's not as "easy". But it will change your gluten free eating! I'm not going to lie and say this is a healthy recipe, there's too much oil involved, but it's good!

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

1 c brown rice flour mixture

1/2 c millet flour

1 t xanthan gum

1/2 t salt

2 t sugar

1/4 t basil

1/4 t thyme

1/4 t oregano

2 1/4 t quick rise yeast

1 t olive oil

3/4 c + 1 T water (110 degrees)

Olive oil for pan

Cornmeal

Drizzle olive oil over two 9 inch spring-form pans (or cake pans). Make sure there is a thin layer of oil covering the whole pan. Generously sprinkle with Cornmeal.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour oil and water into bowl and beat on high for 2 minutes. You may want to scrape down the pan half way through mixing. 

Spoon dough into two pans. Using a wide spatula, spread the dough out until it touches the edges of the pan. This will take some time and work, because it's a runny & sticky dough, but be patient!

Once you have it evenly spread out, let the dough raise for 30 to 40 minutes. The dough should double in height. Preheat the oven to 425. Bake in the lower half of the oven for 16 minutes*.

Remove the dough from the oven, take the crust out of the pan, and top with pepperoni, sausage, etc. Place the pizza back in the oven, directly on the rack. Cook for 10 more minutes (until cheese is melted). Enjoy!

Yields: 3 - 4 servings

* You can also make extra and freeze the crust (to save time and dishes). When you pull the crust out of the oven (after the 16 minute cook), place the crust on a cooling rack until it's room temperature. Then place back in the dirty pan you took it out of and place in the freezer. Once it's frozen, wrap in Saran Wrap. 

To bake it, remove from the freezer and set on the counter for 4 hours. Bake like above, but add 5 minutes to the bake time.

Brown Rice Flour Mixture

So many gluten free recipes require you to use 57 different flours. When starting to bake gluten free it made me not want to try out different recipes. I gravitated to the cook books and recipe sites that all used the same brown rice flour blend. Since it's a pretty common combination, I decided when creating my own recipes to use the same.

Brown Rice Flour Mixture

12 c Brown Rice Flour

4 c Potato Starch

2 c Tapioca Starch (or Flour)

Use a spoon to fill your measuring cup and the back of a butter knife to level the flour off. Pour each cup into a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the flour with a large spoon. Store in a tub in the freezer to preserve nutrients.